The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-02-19
THE PENSION VETO.
The Dependant Pension Bill Re-
ceives a Black Eye.
Synopsis OF President Clevelands Exhaust
i've Message to Congress Explaining
His Reasons for Withholding His
Signature From the Measure

his veto Of the Dependent Pension bill
says that the almost constant pension leg
islation since the close of the war has
placed upon the pension rolls S65, 769 pen
sioners of all classes, for whom SIS, o.
900 have been appropriated for the current
year, and for whom sos, 1874 ,Sl1 have been
expended from 1861 to 1886. 1t is now pro-
posed to award service pensions to SOL
diers Of all wars at the rate of $l2 per
month. 1t exacts only service of three
months, without requiring engagement in
battle or subject to any actual dangers of
war. The pension is allowed to men who
have suffered no injury, loss or damage Of
any kind due to military service, and in
cludes those who never reached the front
at all. The section Of the bill allowing
this pension is in language SO uncertain as
to be subject to unjust and mischievous
application. The persons seeking pension
must be suffering moral or physical dis
ability, such as incapacitates from the
performance Of labor in such degree as
TO render them unable to earn a support,
labor for support
Passing on to a consideration of their
conditions, the President adds:
ut will be observed that there is no lin
itation or definition of the incapacitating
injury or ailment itself 1t need only be
such degree Of disability from any cause
as renders the claimant unable to earn
support by labor. 1t seems to me that the
support here mentioned as one which
can not be earned is complete and entire
support, with no diminution on account of
the least impairment of physical or men,
tai condition. If it had intended to en-
brace only those who, by disease or labor,
were totally unable to labor, it would
have been very easy to express that idea,
instead Of recognizing, as is dono. degree
of such inability"
And then he asks: "What is a support?
Who is to determine whether a man earns
it, or has it, or has it notl Is the Govern
ment to enter the homes of claimants for
/ pensions, and after an examination of
their surroundings and circumstances,
/ settle those ques tionsl Shall the Govern
ment say to one man that his manner of
subsistence by his earnings is support,
and to another that the things that
his earnings furnish are not a support
/ Any attempt, however honest, to admin
lister this law in such a manner, would
discrimination, and give more scope for
partisan partiality and would result in
more perverson of the Governments be-
nevolent intentions than the execution Of
any statute ought to permit. If the effort
TO carry out the proposed law, the degr ea
of disability as related to earnings DO
considered for the purpose of showing il
in any way it curtails the support which
the applicant, if entirely sound, would
earn, and to which he is entitled we enter
the broad field long occupied by the Pen
sion Bureau, and we recognize as the only
difference between the proposed legisla-
ton and previous laws passed for the be.
netit Of the surviving soldiers of the civil
war, the incurrence, in one case, of dis
abilities in military service, and in the
other disabilities existing but in no way
connected with, or resulting from sucf
service"
ut must be borne in mind that in nc
case is there any grading of this proposed
pension. Under the operation OF the rule
first suggested, if there is lack in any
degree, great or small, of the ability to
earn such support as the Government de
termines the claimant should have, and
by the application of the rule secondly
suggested if there is reduction in any
degree of the support which he mightearn
II sound, he is entitled to a pension Of
twelve dollars.
SIN the latter case and under the
proviso OF the proposed bill, permitting
persons now receiving pensions to be ad.
mitted to the benefits of the act do not
see how those now on the pension roll, fol-
Ill ;,,,, j.. 10, -
? which diminish their earning capacity
can be denied the pension provided in this
bill"
I Another condition required Of claimant:
under this act is that they shall be "de
pendent upon their daily labor for sup
port" Under the provisions of this sec
ton, any soldier, the President thinks
whose faculties of mind or body have be
come impaired by accident, disease or age
D irrespective of his service in the army, anC
who by his labor only is left incapable o
gaining the fair support he might will
q unimpaired powers have provided for him
self, and who is not so well endowed witt
, this worlds goods as TO live without work
may claim TO participate in this bounty
, that it is not required that he should b
without property, but only that labo
1 should be necessary to his supportin som
degree nor is it required that he should b
now receiving support from others.
A Recent observation and experience cor
! strain the President to refer to another re
= suit sure to follow the passage Of this bill
e There can be no doubt, he says, that tn
race after pensions offered by the bill
would not only stimulate weakness an
pretended incapacity for labor but put
: further premium on dishonesty and men
dacity. More than this, while cost shoul
not be set against patriotic duty or tn
e recognition of a right; still, when meas
y, ure proposed is based upon generosity o
a motives Of charity, it is not amiss TO medi
. tate somewhat upon the expense it in
, wolves. Experience, the President says
has demonstrated that all estimates con
! corning the probable future cost of a pen
sion list are uncertain and unreliable, an
always fall below the actual realization
and in support Of his assertions, SAYS
e ''The chairman Of the House oommitte
e on pensions calculates that the number o
pensioners under this bill would be 80, TO-
s and the increased cost S4,767, 100; this
e upon the theory that only those who ar
entirely unable to work would be its Der
/ eficiaries. Such was the principle OF tn